AEW Dynamite: Blood and Guts Review - July 19, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jack Perry def. Hook to Win the FTW Championship

Perry's Jungle Boy persona is officially dead, both figuratively and literally based on the video that aired prior to his entrance. Speaking of which, he's got updated entrance music and attire to accompany his heel turn. This was a really good grudge match with Perry getting great heat and Hook had an actual challenge for a change. Perry winning was the right call as we're now one step closer to him tossing the title in the trash where it belongs.

Britt Baker def. Kayla Sparks

This only existed to ensure there was some female representation on the show. It would have been pretty bad if there was none throughout the two hours, but I wish it was more meaningful. This was a simple squash that allowed Baker to rebound from her recent loss to Ruby Soho in the first round of the women's Owen Hart Cup, and that's about it. Nothing happened afterward and there was no indication her feud with The Outcasts is continuing, though I have to assume it is because I don't know what she does otherwise.

AEW World Champion MJF and Adam Cole def. Jericho Appreciation Society (Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia) in the Finals of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament

Obviously, this entire tournament was designed to keep Cole and MJF busy and prolong their program, but I don't think anyone expected their team to get over the way it has. Some have said that it would be a mistake for AEW to break them up after failing to become AEW World Tag Team Champions next Saturday on Collision, and I can't say I disagree with that take. Maybe there's a way to keep it going and they can hold off on MJF vs. Cole until All Out instead of All In. Either way, this was super entertaining, even with the dancing shenanigans at the beginning. The crowd popped huge for the double clothesline finish.

The Golden Elite (Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, "Hangman" Adam Page and The Young Bucks) def. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta), Konosuke Takeshita and Pac in a Blood and Guts Match

I don't know where this Blood and Guts match ranks the two other installments, but it was certainly a spectacular, I'll say that much. The crowd had fun with it and it got crazier and crazier as it progressed. That's what Blood and Guts is all about so I can't say I'm surprised or even disappointed, but the hardcore stuff would mean more if AEW didn't do it as frequently as they do. The finish felt a little flat, but it made sense for Pac and Takeshita to walk out on Blackpool Combat Club given they have no real allegiance to them. All in all, this delivered.

Overall Show

This show marked AEW's debut at the TD Garden in Boston and they packed the building more than I thought they would, so kudos to the company on that. It was a blast to attend live. The main event was obviously the main attraction, but the tag team match was actually my favorite part of the night, and the opener was enjoyable as well. This was a strong edition of Dynamite with a hot crowd to boot.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews